Brown signed the new goals into law at Griffith Observatory, where the panoramic view of smog across the Los Angeles Basin provided a reminder of the work to be done.

Although the state's air quality has improved over the years, Brown said, more must be done to improve Californians' health, and the state must continue setting the standard for halting global warming.

“We are talking about the big world of avoiding climate catastrophe, but we are talking about the immediate world of people living in Riverside, Los Angeles and other places,” Brown said. “This is big. It is big because it is global in scope, but it is also big because it is local in application.”